1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air-conditioning device for automatically controlling the temperature in a room such as a passenger component of a vehicle or a room in a building.
2. Description of Related Art
Some air-conditioning devices for controlling two or more different air-conditioning zones independently of each other have heretofore been proposed in an air-conditioning device for automobile field. When the temperatures, in a driver seat (Dr) side air-conditioning zone and in a passenger seat (Pa) side air-conditioning zone, are controlled independently, since there is no partition wall between two air-conditioning zones, temperature interference between the two air-conditioning zones may occur.
As an air-conditioning device for automobiles, which is capable of controlling independently between the two air-conditioning zones, Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 7-32854 has proposed. In this air-conditioning device, when a Dr side target blow-out temperature and a Pa side target blow-out temperature are calculated, a calculation term of difference between a Dr side setpoint temperature and a Pa side setpoint temperature are corrected by correction gain, which is decided based on an external temperature, so as to realize desired temperatures in each of the Dr side and Pa side air-conditioning zones.
This air-conditioning device aims to prevent practical temperatures of each zones from deviating from predetermined setpoint temperatures due to an influence of the external temperature, by the correction described the above.
However, the temperature interference between the two air-conditioning zones can not be conjectured only based on the external temperature and the difference between the two setpoint temperatures. Actually, the temperature interference is related to an internal temperature, a blow-out temperature, and an amount of air or the like at every timing. Therefore, the independent temperature controlling can not be operated accurately by only the correction described above.
FIGS. 12A, 12B are temperature characteristics of the independent controlling, which are experimentally confirmed. FIG. 12A shows a characteristic of a temperature of area in which surrounding passengers when the Pa side setpoint temperature is set to constant and the Dr side setpoint temperature varies from 22xc2x0 C. to 28xc2x0 C. FIG. 12B shows a characteristic of opposite relation.
As shown in FIG. 12A, during a varying of the setpoint temperature of Dr side, the temperature interference, which is a phenomenon, that the temperature of area surrounding passengers in Pa side is dragged by temperature changes of Dr side. Hence, a controllability of temperature of both Dr side and Pa side has no inconvenient.
However, as shown in FIG. 12B, when the setpoint temperature of the Pa side is varied, the temperature of area surrounding passengers in Pa side is decreased slightly with respect to normal temperature increasing due to an influence on Dr side. Specifically, when the Pa side setpoint temperature (Tset(Pa))=28xc2x0 C., the temperature of area surrounding passengers in Pa side reaches only around 25.5xc2x0 C.
In the Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 7-32854, for the purpose of offsetting the temperature interference, a correction value is calculated by multiplying the difference between two setpoint temperatures, and is added to the target blow-out temperature. FIGS. 13A, 13B are temperature characteristics when this correction is adopted. As shown in FIG. 13B, when the Pa side setpoint temperature varies, the control characteristic at the condition where Tset(Pa)=28xc2x0 C. is improved, however, the correction term influences other conditions to the contrary. This is because the correction term depends on the difference between two setpoint temperatures.
In other words, from the temperature difference point of view, both the condition of which the characteristic should be improved (Dr side setpoint temperature Tset(Dr)=25xc2x0 C., Pa side setpoint temperature Tset(Pa)=28xc2x0 C.) and the condition of which the characteristic should be maintained (Tset(Dr)=25xc2x0 C., Tset(Dr)=22xc2x0 C.) are the identical (each of them is 3xc2x0 C.). Therefore, the correction is adapted to other condition.
Then, a disadvantage occurs because the temperature of area surrounding passengers in Pa side is decreased below 22xc2x0 C., as shown in FIG. 13B, in the condition of which the characteristic should be maintained (Tset(Dr)=25xc2x0 C., Tset(Dr)=22xc2x0 C.) may occur.
Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13A, a disadvantage occurs because the temperature of area surrounding passengers in Pa side is deviated from 25xc2x0 C. due to temperature varying in Dr side may occur.
FIG. 14A shows a characteristic of a Dr side correction gain KDr according to the related art described the above. When the external temperature rises from T1 to T2, KDr decreases from K1 to K2. A Pa side correction gain Kpa has a similar characteristic. If the Pa side correction gain Kpa is changed from K3 to K4 at external temperature=10xc2x0 C., since the relation Kpa=K4 is adopted to other condition during external temperature=10xc2x0 C., the disadvantage shown in FIGS. 13A, 13B may occur.
Therefore, in order to eliminate the disadvantage, it is necessary to change the Pa side correction gain Kpa to K4 in only a particular condition, and to maintain the Pa side correction gain with K3 without change in the other conditions.
In other words, a control logic, which can change the correction gain in only the particular condition, is needed. However, environment conditions, of which the air-conditioning device for automobiles faces, include a wide variety of parameters such as the external temperature, an amount of solar radiation (hereinafter, radiation amount), a speed of the automobile and the like. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to investigate a relationship of factors at which these environment conditions influence to the temperature control characteristic one by one, to quantify the influence of the relationship, and to decide the blow-out temperature control logic corresponds to the influence, because it needs huge processes.
On the other hand, in another conventional automatically control air-conditioning device for vehicles, as shown in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 6-195323, calculates an air amount by using a neural network based on an internal air temperature and an external air temperature of the vehicle, a setpoint temperature, and a radiation amount.
In this kind of air-conditioning device, during a normal operation after the internal air temperature reaches the setpoint temperature, when a blow-out port mode is either in a FACE mode or in a BI-LEVEL (B/L) mode, the air-amount is increased in proportion to the radiation amount so as to increase a cooled air feeling (felt by a driver or a passenger), during high solar radiation.
Here, when the blow-out port mode is in a FOOT mode, since the temperature in a passenger component rises due to the radiation, an increase of amount of conditioned air (hereinafter, air amount) is not needed. Therefore, the air amount is not increased in proportion to the radiation amount.
According to the above-mentioned conventional device, when the air amount is changed in proportion to radiation during a normal operation, the following disadvantage may occur.
The number of output of the air amount, which is calculated by the neural network, is only one independent of the blow-out port mode. Therefore, when the blow-out port mode is switched among the FACE mode, the B/L mode and the FOOT mode, the air amount needs to be changed step by step during high radiation.
This disadvantage will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 25. In FIG. 25, the ordinate represents a blower voltage which determines the air amount to the passenger component, the abscissa represents a difference TD (=Trxe2x88x92Tset) between the internal air temperature Tr in the passenger component and the setpoint temperature Tset. This difference TD is zero around center of an area A on the abscissa, and is in a plus at the right side on the abscissa and in a minus at the left side on the abscissa.
In the FOOT mode, when the difference TD is in around zero in the normal operation area A, the blower voltage is set to the minimum voltage E2 independent of radiation. On the other hand, in the FACE mode or the B/L mode, the blower voltage is increased from E2to E4 in proportion to radiation. Since this changes (increasing), which is an amount of changes xcex94E of the blower voltage due to mode switching, does not have continuously (step by step changes), a learning of the neural network becomes difficult.
Further the conventional device inputs data such as the internal air temperature, the external temperature, the setpoint temperature and the radiation amount to the neural network. The total number of data is desired to reduce so as to reduce the number of intermediate layers and neurons in the neural network, and to reduce the total calculation time of the neural network enough to converge the learning of link coefficients between the neurons.
A further conventional automatically control air-conditioning device for vehicles, as shown in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 56-86815, calculates a target blow-out temperature TAO, which is used for maintaining a temperature in a passenger compartment. Then it controls a temperature adjuster (e.g., air-mixing door or hot water valve) so that a temperature of air blown to the passenger compartment approaches the target blow-out temperature TAO. The target blow-out temperature TAO is calculated as follows:
TAO=Ksetxc3x97Tsetxe2x88x92Krxc3x97Trxe2x88x92Kamxc3x97Tamxe2x88x92Ksxc3x97TS+C
Here, Tr is an internal air temperature, Tam is an external air temperature, Ts is a radiation amount to the passenger compartment, Kset is a temperature set gain, Kr is an internal air temperature gain, Kam is an external air temperature gain, Ks is a radiation amount gain, and C is an correction constant value.
One of a Face mode for blowing air to a face area of the passenger, a FOOT mode for blowing air to a foot area of the passenger, and bi-level (B/L) mode for blowing air to both the face area and the foot area of the passenger, is selected based on the target blow-out temperature TAO.
FIGS. 46A-46C show blow-out port control based on the TAO. The blow-out port mode is changed to the FACE modexe2x86x92the B/L modexe2x86x92the FOOT mode, in proportion to a rising of TAO.
According to this conventional device, if heat load conditions for the vehicle are same, the TAO will be same value. Therefore, in this case, the blow-out port mode will be set to be same mode. However, a heat feeling of the passenger due to surrounding condition is different from the heat load condition. Hence, a uniform switching of the blow-out port mode based on the TAO may make an air-conditioning feeling worse.
These air-conditioning feeling will be explained with reference to FIGS. 46A-46C. FIG. 46A shows a condition of the external air temperature Tam is 10xc2x0 C. (rather warm), and cloudiness (less solar radiation). FIG. 46B shows a condition of the external air temperature Tam is 0xc2x0 C. (rather cold), and fairy (much solar radiation). In these two conditions, both of the TAO will be the same value xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d, therefore, the FOOT mode is selected uniformly.
However, in the case of FIG. 46B, the passenger will feel hot due to the radiation to the upper body, even if the external air temperature is rather low, and will want more cooled air to the upper body. That is, in this case, it is desired to select the B/L mode to improve the air-conditioning feeling. Therefore, the conventional device could not control the blow-out port mode in view of the radiation.
Furthermore, the external air temperature and a temperature of hot water to a heat exchanger also influence the air-conditioning feeling. However, the conventional device also could not control the blow-out port mode in view of these factors.
In order to resolve the above-mentioned disadvantage, it can be thought the following structure as shown in FIGS. 47A, 47B. That is, two maps including a no radiation map (FIG. 47A) and a radiation map (FIG. 47B) are provided as a characteristic switching map between the blow-out port mode and the TAO. When it is in the radiated condition, as shown in FIG. 47B, a switching point of the B/L mode will be changed to a high temperature side. Similarly, the same method can be adopted for the external temperature, and the hot water temperature.
However, the structure in FIGS. 47A, 47B may increase memory portion (ROM) of an air-conditioning electrical control unit, because it needs additional maps.
Further, environment conditions, of which the air-conditioning device for automobiles faces, include a wide variety of parameters such as the external temperature, an amount of solar radiation, a speed of the automobile and the like. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to investigate a relationship of factor at which these environment conditions influence the temperature control characteristic one by one, to quantify the influence of the relationship, and to decide the blow-out temperature control logic corresponds to the influence, because it needs huge processes.
Then, another disadvantage of Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 56-86815 will be explained. In this conventional device, the amount radiation Ts is included as a calculation term in the equation of the target blow-out temperature TAO. Therefore, even if it is at the timing just after the air-conditioning device starts in winter (warm-up), TAO is calculated as low temperature. Then, a warm-up time may be long time. The warm-up time corresponds to a period between the temperature adjuster is adjusted from maximum heating position to temperature region and a room temperature rises to the setpoint temperature.
In order to solve the above-mentioned disadvantage, Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 4-163223 is proposed. In this device, when a temperature difference (Trxe2x88x92Tset) between the internal air temperature Tr of the passengers component and the setpoint temperature Tset is minus, the radiation amount Ts as the calculation term (amount on radiation correction) is decreased in proportion to an increasing of the absolute value of the temperature difference.
According to an investigation, it is found the following facts. That is, when the radiation amount correction is decided only based on the temperature difference (Trxe2x88x92Tset), it may be impossible to calculate the radiation amount correction for various-of surrounding conditions. That is, even if the temperature difference is equal, the TAO is desired to be high temperature by decreasing the radiation amount correction when the external air temperature is extremely low like in winter, so as to shorten the warm-up time.
Similarly, even if the temperature difference is equal, the TAO is desired to be low temperature by decreasing the radiation amount correction when there is little solar radiation, so as to shorten the warm-up time.
In winter, since an angle of the sun is rather small, the solar radiation is likely to be radiated to upper body of the passenger. In such a case, when the internal air temperature reaches the setpoint temperature (Trxe2x88x92Tset≈0) as the result of heating, an operation of will be normal operation. Then, the passenger may feel hot due to the radiation. Therefore, it is desired to set TAO low temperature by increasing the radiation amount correction during much radiation in the normal operation so as to set the blow-out port mode to B/L mode to blow cooled air from a face blow-out port.
The present invention was accomplished in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. First object is to provide an air-conditioning device for controlling the air-conditioning temperatures in a first air-conditioning zone and in a second air-conditioning zone highly independently of each other by restricting temperature interference between the first air-conditioning zone and the second air-conditioning zone.
A neural network, which is one of information process system, has a characteristic to correct its output to be desired data (teacher signal) automatically, by adjusting link coefficients (synapse weights) between each neurons in each layers in the neural network automatically (i.e., learning function). The present inventions aim at correcting the target blow-out temperature only at a specific condition without increasing an engineer""s process, by using the automatic adjusting function of link coefficients between the neurons in the neural network.
Furthermore, second object is to provide an air-conditioning device, which calculate an air amount by using a neural network, of which learning can be simplified.
Also, third object is to provide an air-conditioning device, which calculate an air amount by using a neural network, of which total calculation time can be decreased.
Furthermore, fourth object is to provide an air-conditioning device, which can control a blow-out port mode finely in accordance to air-conditioning feeling of user.
Furthermore, fifth object is to provide an air-conditioning device, which can calculate a radiation amount correction accurately to improve an air-conditioning feeling of user.
In order to accomplish one of the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an air-conditioning device includes a first and a second temperature adjusters, and a first and a second target blow-out temperature calculating portions for input setpoint temperatures (Tset(Dr), Tset(Pa)) of a first and a second air-conditioning zones, an internal air temperature (Tr) detected by a temperature data detector, and an external air temperature (Tam) detected by the temperature data detector, to calculate a first and a second target blow-out temperatures (TAO(Dr), TAO(Pa)) of each air-conditioning zones by using a neural network. Here, the first and the second temperature adjusters are controlled so that the blow-out temperatures of air-conditioned air from each air passages relative to the first and the second air-conditioning zones can correspond to the first and the second target blow-out temperatures (TAO(Dr), TAO(Pa)).
According to the present invention, the first and the second target blow-out temperatures (TAO(Dr), TAO(Pa)) related to each air-conditioning zones are calculated via the neural network. The neural network has the learning function, which adjusts the link coefficients (synapse weights) between each neurons in each layers in the neural network automatically to correct its output to be desired data (teacher signal). Therefore, the output at a specific input condition can be adjusted, by changing the teacher signal at the specific input condition and then adjusting the link coefficients (synapse weights) automatically in advance.
Furthermore, since the neural network adjusts its whole link coefficients so that the desired outputs (teacher signal) at the other input condition are maintained even if the output at the specific input condition is changed. Therefore, the change of the output at the specific input condition does not influence the outputs at the other input conditions.
Hence, when the setpoint temperatures of the first and the second air-conditioning zones are changed, both temperatures of the area surrounding passengers in the first and the second air-conditioning zones are highly independent controlled with accurately, without the temperature interference between each zones.